


Caught Up On You (Make Your Move)

by LonelyLittleShips



Series: I can't think of a name (pretend I'm clever) [2]
Category: Milo Murphy's Law
Genre: Crying, Dakota has an eating disorder, Drama, Idiots in Love, Its still a mess im sorry, M/M, Not Beta Read, Oblivious, puking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-04
Updated: 2020-12-03
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:27:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27872281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LonelyLittleShips/pseuds/LonelyLittleShips
Summary: Ohohoho round 2 posting this. This time I will not take it down. It is what it is. Might maybe should be rated E I donno. Dont read if you're not into emotional roller coasters and stupid drama. It works out, just, might be too much for some.After Mysterious Music, Cavendish and Dakota attempt to have their "Date" The problem is, neither of them knows what the other expects from it. The result is a pretty wild night of trying to figure out exactly where they stand.
Relationships: Balthazar Cavendish/Vinnie Dakota
Series: I can't think of a name (pretend I'm clever) [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2119932
Comments: 1
Kudos: 15





	1. Pie Means "I Love You" in Cavendish ol

Dakota woke to the smell of something sweet, he stretched out on the futon, half expecting to invade Cavendish’s space, but his partner wasn't there. He inhaled deeply, that smell was not just sweet, it was mouth watering. He looked across the room and spotted Cavendish, busying himself with, well, probably with whatever was making that smell. Dakota watched him for a minute, his partner was dressed in his usual attire, though he was without top hat or tails and Dakota wondered where the apron he was wearing came from. 

He padded over to the older man, no longer able to resist the smell, “Hey Cav, whatcha doin’?” 

“Ah, Dakota you’re up!” He replied cheerily, “I’ve just been making some hand pies.” Dakota looked at the perfect half-moon pastries and his stomach rumbled, he was practically drooling. He looked at Cavendish who nodded at him to go ahead.

“Cav these look amazing! Like from a café!” he remarked as he grabbed one and bit into it, finding it generously filled with the berries from their recent exploit. He couldn't hold back a slight moan, “Cavendish this is freakin’ incredible, wow.” Cavendish’s cheeks were flushed, Dakota couldn't help smiling as he wondered if it was from the sound he’d made or from the compliment. He decided it was both, probably. 

“Glad you like it, I didn’t make the crust from scratch though, it’s just stuff from a tube. I wanted to make them quickly so they would be ready when you woke up.” Cavendish explained. 

“That's really thoughtful! I’m taking you berry picking again for sure!” Dakota said, half joking, as he put two more pies on a paper towel, he took notice of how the lingering blush on his partners cheeks darkened at that. He headed back over to the bed and flopped on it, lying on his stomach and kicking his legs up. 

“Watch the crumbs.” 

Dakota rolled his eyes, “Yeah, yeah.” He ate absentmindedly and the pies were gone in much less time than he would’ve hoped. Three was enough for one sitting, he knew that, but the urge to sate the gnawing feeling in his stomach with food still remained. He also knew that that particular feeling could not be satisfied with food. 

He sighed deeply. “Cavendish?” 

“Yes?” His partner asked distractedly. 

“Um...This is kind of important so…” He trailed off, ugh, his stomach couldn’t decide if it wanted more food, or to be sick. Great. 

“Oh!” Cavendish set everything aside and headed over to the bed, sitting lightly. “Is everything alright?” 

Ah! Why did he suddenly feel so much more intimidated? He should have just let Cavendish be distracted while he brought it up. He rolled over and sat up, running a hand through his messy curls. “Um, so...about tonight…” Once again he trailed off. 

Cavendish frowned. “Is everything alright?” He asked nervously, “I...if you want to call it off or-”

“What, no Cav, nothing like that!” Dakota immediately reassured him. “I just...I wanna know-” He chickened out completely, blurting the first thing that came to mind, “If you wanna do Chinese instead of pizza?” 

Cavendish gave him a puzzled look, “Um, if that's what you’d prefer? But I don’t-”

“Yeah, sorry I guess it wasn’t really that important, I just, I know it’s your favourite.” He excused feeling his face flush as he rubbed his neck. 

Cavendish smiled, “Indeed it is, that’s perfectly fine by me. We’ll order in about an hour, if that’s alright with you?” he asked as he went back to his piemaking. 

Dakota paused in the middle of pulling the latch up on the bed, “An hour? Wait, what time is it?” 

“Around four o’clock.” 

Surprised, he shoved the bed harder than he intended and almost fell on his face as it flipped into couch position. Here he was thinking it was ten AM or something, that explained why he was so hungry. He turned on the old (even in their current time period) game console that he had connected to a tiny and equally old T.V, then set his phone to his 80s playlist. 

He started the game, repeating the easy levels that he’d already played through a bunch of times, even so, he was too distracted to actually focus on the game and he kept dying. He didn't really mind, it was just something to occupy his fingers and eyes anyway. _“It’s a date!”, “We’ll have our date, as promised.”_ Cavendish’s words just kept repeating, was it a _date_ though? He had no idea of the intention behind it. The first one was more ambiguous but the second one was...still rather confusing. It wasn’t as if having a movie night and ordering food was anything special either, they’d done it dozens of times, often sitting so close that they were pressed right up together.

He died again. 

Cavendish was humming along to the same songs he used to complain about. Part of him wanted to just go wrap his arms around the slim man and pull him into a dance and then a kiss. He grimaced at the thought, his face trying to smile and frown at the same time. Maybe tonight Cavendish was finally going to make his move, maybe tonight an arm would dare to wrap itself around him, maybe even a shy peck on the cheek. It was best to wait and see, he supposed. 

Died.

He made a decision then, if Cavendish didn’t make a move by the end of the night then he _would._ It wasn’t fair that Cavendish would cuddle him every night and pretend it never happened, that Dakota had to pretend he didn’t know. 

He died for a final time. _Game over._

He paused the game and picked up his phone.

[Doof u there?] 

The former evil scientist replied quickly _[no this is Doofenshmirtzs ghost. Of course Im here, whats up? Wanna hang out?]_

[Can’t Ive got a date??? I think?] 

_[what do you mean you think? How do you not know?]_

[its Cavendish he can be really]- He hesitated typing his reply- [vague i guess? he said its a date but like...that doesnt always mean romantic and i dont know what I should do.] 

_[At least he CAN talk! do you know how difficult it is when your partner is mute and also is technically your nemesis?]_

[No idea doof.] 

_[well just follow his lead i guess?]_

[ive always done that though! I dont want to wait anymore! Hes not making any moves!] 

_[he literally asked you on a date though, are you sure hes not making moves? Or are you both just being obtuse about it?]_

He considered that. Cavendish had made him pies, was that a romantic gesture? Why hadn't he considered that before? _The way to a man's heart is through his stomach_ well, it wasn’t as if Dakota was shy about his love of food, food made by Cavendish was especially desirable. 

[he made me pies today] 

[We went berry picking yesterday.]

_[AND YOURE ASKING ME ABOUT IT????!!!? HES CLEARLY MADLY IN LOVE WITH YOU!!!!!!]_

_[stop holding out on him!]_

_[go confess to him RIGHT NOW!]_

Dakota’s heart pounded, was Cavendish really using _pie_ to express his love? He looked over at his partner who was still occupied with making _even more_ pies. He got up and wandered over to the kitchenette, he must not have noticed how quiet he was being, or maybe he wasn't that quiet and it was just that Cavendish was very focused on his work.

“Can I have another pie?” 

Cavendish jumped ridiculously high. “Good gracious Dakota, you nearly scared the whiskers off me!” 

Dakota couldn’t help but chuckle, “Glad I didn’t, that woulda been tragic!” 

Cavendish rolled his eyes, “Anyway yes, you can have as many as you like, I made them for you.” 

Dakota’s stomach flipped, suddenly he wasn’t so sure he wanted another one. He took one anyway and took a bite, “You spoil me, Cav,” he stood so close that their hips brushed,“I didn't even know you could bake!” 

“Yes well, it’s not a skill I’m often inclined to use but I just couldn't pass up this opportunity.” Cavendish stepped away from the contact, Dakota couldn’t tell if it was intentional or not. “I would have liked to have made some full sized pies, but as it is with our little toaster oven it’s easier to do little ones.” Honestly, the fact that Cavendish had managed to bake anything at all was a shock. It wasn’t that Dakota doubted his partner's ability to, it was more like even the term _kitchenette_ was a stretch for what they had. On top of their minifridge sat a microwave and on top of that sat a single burner hotplate (which was now occupied with a pot of pie filling) and on a small table beside it was a toaster oven. The only water access was in the bathroom but there was usually a large bottle or jug kept nearby for convenience sake. 

Dakota smiled and bit into the small pastry, “It’s all good, I like the small size, less messy to eat with hands too. I’m super impressed you could even make pies at all with this craptastic setup.” he took another bite and made a sound of pleasure, just to see Cavendish react. React he did. He froze, staring at Dakota, cheeks flushing, mustache twitching. Dakota couldn't help the little smirk that tugged at the corner of his mouth. “What’s wrong Cav?”

“What? Nothing, nothing at all.” He huffed, “I’m going to tidy up here, then we can figure out what to order.” he turned his back to Dakota and busied himself with wrapping up the pies. 

“If you say so. I’m gonna go take a quick shower.” Dakota replied, finishing up the pastry as he trotted off to the bathroom.

Like everything else in their place the bathroom was tiny. It was almost as if whoever built it hadn’t intended there to be a shower at all and added it as an afterthought. Dakota always joked with Cavendish that the shower was a decommissioned cryo-tube, to which Cavendish would roll his eyes and retort that that was impossible in their current time period, it was probably from an old RV. 

Dakota spent a good amount of time just messing with the water temperature before he even stepped into the tiny shower stall. Once he was in he carefully maneuvered to avoid bumping the walls. Only a hairs breadth spared him from bumping the showerhead and he found himself wondering, as he often did, how Cavendish managed. 

That was where his thoughts stuck now, Cavendish with all his lanky baby-giraffe awkwardness, somehow maintaining a sense of grace despite his literally deadly clumsiness. That was why thinking of Cavendish taking a shower didn’t get him hot and bothered, all it did was make him compare him to countless equally adorable awkward animals, like stick bugs or flamingos or those odd long-legged canines from South America. 

And that was what he preoccupied himself with, he simply pushed aside any thoughts of what was going to happen...or at least, he tried to. He couldn't help thinking that if this really was a date, then he should probably do something to spiffy himself up a bit, but what? 

….

“Ah, you’re finally out of the shower Dakota, I thought…you...” Cavendish trailed off as he looked up at his partner. Dakota plopped onto the couch beside him, only a few inches away. Cavendish suddenly scooted away, he was blushing again, blushing _intensely_ and staring openly at him _._ Dakota was surprised, Cavendish hadn’t scooted away like that in a long time, it was a little discouraging, but still he felt his own face flush. 

“Sorry for taking so long. I um...I thought I should make myself a bit presentable ’cause you put all that effort in with the pies and you’re always saying I look like a slob so I figured I’d try to look nice for um...you know…” He trailed off from his rambling feeling terribly self conscious, Cavendish was _still_ staring. “Uh, heh take a picture Cav, it lasts longer.” He quipped uneasily, trying to snap his partner out of it. Already he wanted terribly to run his hands through his hair, but then it would just get messy again and ruin all his hard work. Cavendish would probably chide him about it too, so he just had to grin and bear it.

Cavendish finally broke his stare, but he didn’t say anything in response, he simply put his hand up to his mouth and bit down on the tip of his thumb. Dakota quirked an eyebrow, he had been expecting a reaction but not like _this._ “Um, Cav are...are you okay?” Cavendish dropped his thumb and nodded yes, a non-verbal reply from Cavendish usually meant he was feeling overwhelmed. “Really? Cause it kinda seems like you're a bit wound up.” Cavendish _scowled_ at him. He recoiled, this wasn't going well at all, his stomach was once again twisting uncomfortably. “But you like it right? It um...looks okay?” He couldn’t remember ever being so needy for approval from his partner.

Cavendish blinked, Dakota got the impression that he only just realized he was making him self-conscious. Finally he found his tongue, though it seemed words were not entirely forthcoming. “I-it...yes Dakota, it looks much better than _okay.”_ He picked up the menu, “Now, what shall we order?” Dakota sighed, _Well he must_ really _like it then._ He wished Cavendish would be a bit more forthcoming about it but of course, _Cav gonna Cav._

….

Cavendish couldn't stop staring at his partner. Specifically, at his _hair._ Dakota had spent an unusually long time in the bathroom, and now it was apparent why. His hair looked completely different from how it normally looked, his short, fluffy, frizzy mess had been absolutely transformed into a stunning coif of angelic ringlets. He felt his face heating up drastically, and when Dakota plopped down beside him Cavendish found himself nearly overwhelmed by the heady scent of coconut. It was a hundred times stronger than it usually was and Cavendish was now at the mercy of far too many repressed thoughts, all bubbling up at once. He scooted sharply away, he didn’t know what else to do. Dakota was babbling something, he couldn’t really focus on that though...all he could think about was how badly he wanted to run his hands through that perfect hair and completely mess it up. The thought made him tingle in places he didn't really _want_ to have tingle over Dakota, at least, that was what he insisted on telling himself.

“...picture, Cav, it lasts longer.” 

_Wait, what did he say?_

He had to snap himself out of it before he did something he’d regret. He tore his eyes away and bit down on the tip of his thumb. The tingling stopped, mostly. “Cav are...are you okay?” Dakota sounded worried, that wasn’t good, but he didn't want to look at him so he simply nodded. “Really? Cause it kinda seems like you're a bit wound up.” _A bit wound up._ He was wound up alright and it was certainly more than a _bit._ He couldn't help shooting a look at his partner, which, despite his efforts, turned out to be the something he regretted. Dakota looked _upset,_ he was actually pouting, something he very rarely did, but when it did it was normally over trivial (or so they seemed to Cavendish) things, like forgetting he already ate the last doughnut, or that his favourite pair of socks had a hole. 

That wasn't the only odd thing either, Dakota also completely cringed at being frowned at. As rare as it was for him to pout, it was far rarer that he was hurt by simply being frowned at, after all, Cavendish often aimed unpleasant faces at him. “But you like it right? It um...looks okay?” Dakota’s voice was barely above a whisper, he sounded so apprehensive, nervous even. He suddenly realized that it wasn’t _Dakota_ acting strange, it was _him,_ Dakota was just reacting in turn. 

  
Did he like it? All the wild thoughts racing through his head started to stampede, just when he thought they’d calmed down too. Some of those thoughts were really pushing to be let out and they were powerful creatures. “I-” _find it intensely attractive,_ “it…” _makes me want to do -things- with you, “_ yes Dakota, it looks much better than _okay.”_ Lord, that was difficult! He needed a distraction, he picked up the menu, “Now, what shall we order?”


	2. 20 Questions but it goes nowhere

Ordering went about as smoothly as could be expected. Dakota, of course, wanted to order way too much and with him looking so darn extra attractive it was  _ very  _ hard to say no. “I am not letting you order six entrees for yourself Dakota! You’ll spend the whole night gorging yourself instead of-” He cut himself off,  _ instead of paying attention to me,  _ that was a close one, “Paying attention to the movie.” 

Dakota huffed, “It's not like it matters that much, I’ve seen it like a hundred times.”

“Yes but I  _ haven't  _ and I don't want to be distracted by your-”  _ love of food making me jealous,  _ “disgusting eating habits.”

Dakota crossed his arms, “Way to flatter a guy, Cav.” Dakota sassed, but it was a lot moodier than his usual comeback. Cavendish felt himself blushing, both from shame and because of Dakota’s word choice. 

This was not going how it should. It seemed to be going the complete opposite, Cavendish pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed sharply, it was his turn to eat pie, of the humble variety. “I’m sorry, Dakota. I...I shouldn’t have said that. You know I don’t like it when you overeat, but I shouldn’t resort to being mean about it, that doesn’t help.” Dakota gave him an incredulous look, but didnt say anything. Cavendish knew it was because he had apologised so quickly. “I know, I know,” He rolled his eyes, “I just don’t want you to be upset, but I do mean it.” 

Dakota sighed and relaxed a bit, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. “You realize I’m heckin’  _ hangry  _ right? I’ve hardly eaten anything today and we’re taking waaaay too long to order.” 

Cavendish shook his head, that would explain some of the moodiness, “Go grab another pie then, or something else if you like.” 

“What? you’re not worried I’m gonna ruin my dinner Mr. Mom?” Dakota retorted, but his tone was much lighter as he got up to fetch a snack. 

Cavendish snorted, “You’re an adult, you can eat what you like, when you like.” He stated matter of factly, “Though to be honest, I see no reason to chide you on this particular thing. I’ve learned very well that next to nothing can spoil your dinner.” He knew that could have sounded very mean if he’d said it wrong. Luckily, he must have gotten it right because peals of laughter were emanating from behind the fridge door. 

“Well I’m gonna hold you to that, you know!” Dakota assured him as he walked back to the couch. “Next time I’m on a binge you’re not allowed to stop me!” He poked out his tongue childishly. Cavendish’s head spun at that and the tingle returned with a  _ vengeance  _ as Dakota plopped back down next to him, this time the gap between them was completely non-existent; their bodies were pressed together from thigh to shoulder. There was the coconut again, and now it mixed with berries, somehow that drove him even  _ more  _ wild, he looked away, wondering if Dakota would question the crossing of his legs. “I’ll be totally honest with you though Cav,” He started as he took a big bite of one of the pies he had grabbed, “I don't mind when you stop me from doing things that are  _ actually  _ self destructive.” He said it with such a tone of honesty, it made Cavendish feel as though he had whiplash, the torrent inside him stopped as if commanded by a higher power. 

Cavendish sighed, relieved for the moment, though he was sure it wouldn’t last.“Well, that I’m happy to do.” His hand slid over and came to rest on Dakota’s knee, doing so made his heart pound wildly, but he ignored it, it was time to do  _ something  _ . He felt his partner tense at the action and immediately wondered if he’d made a mistake. His pounding heart felt like it was going to beat right out of his chest and his already aching stomach flipped.

“Heh...Cav don't take this wrong, ‘cause I  _ really  _ like what you’re doing there but whatever you do, don't squeeze.” Dakota’s tension was apparent, even in his voice. 

Cavendish pulled away before really even hearing what Dakota said. It took him a second to process that he hadn’t actually said he should move, in fact, it was the opposite. Confusion played across his face, was something wrong with Dakota’s knee? 

Dakota hunched up and chuckled coyly, rubbing the back of his neck. “Ah, I guess you’re gonna want some explaining on that, but uh, you didn't have to pull away like that.” The slightest blush dusted across his cheeks, he looked sweeter than Cavendish had ever seen.

“I would, if you’re willing to give it,” Cavendish replied calmly but he couldn't keep the curiosity out of his voice, “though, let's order first, this is getting ridiculous and I’m getting, to put it in your words,  _ hecking hangry.”  _ Dakota chuckled at that.

....

“It’s pretty simple,” Dakota shrugged after Cavendish had ordered, “my knees are  _ extremely  _ ticklish.” 

Cavendish looked at him as if he’d grown another head. “Ticklish  _ knees?”  _

Dakota cringed again, “Well uh...more like ticklish  _ everywhere  _ but yeah, my knees are really sensitive.” He sighed, and flopped forward, alarming Cavendish. “Okay, it’s not  _ that  _ simple. It’s not just that I’m ticklish, I have…” He hesitated, “I have some sensory issues. It’s why I always take such short showers, why my hair is always a mess, why I’m so picky about my socks-” he sounded so contrite, guilty for something over which he had no control, Cavendish felt like a priest in a confession box. 

“Wait, Dakota, is...is having your hair like that  _ uncomfortable  _ for you?” This was a shocking revelation. His heart ached that he had been so wound up over something that potentially caused his partner grief.

Dakota bit his lip. “I mean...the actual styling part kinda sucks, but once it's done...um...I...It’s kind of a different thing then.” His voice was strained, it was clear this wasn’t a matter he was prepared to discuss.

“Dakota if this is too difficult to discuss then it’s alright, you don’t owe me an explanation.” He wanted badly to rub Dakota’s back, or even wrap an arm around him, but with what he had just been told Cavendish wasn’t sure he  _ should.  _

Dakota sighed and smiled, “Naw, it’s okay, I want you to know why I don't put more effort in for you all the time, ’cause I  _ would.”  _ Cavendish felt guilt bubble up intensely, all the times he had accused him of not caring, if only he’d known.

“Dakot-” Cavendish wanted deeply to apologize.

_ “I get paranoid.”  _ Dakota cut him off sharply. “See my hair is uh...kind of a comfort thing for me right? Playin’ with it, runnin’ my hands through it, stuff like that, but when it’s like this, well, I  _ can’t,  _ so that’s like, added stress right there, and if I  _ do  _ then one side gets all frizzy and that’s when I get paranoid. Don’t get me wrong, I have no issue with people starin’ at me, obviously, just for some reason the idea of my hair bein’ messy...like, it  _ was  _ nice and  _ I  _ messed it up…” The words tumbled out of him, he had tucked his fingers between his glasses and eyes, he looked almost exactly like he was puking, and it seemed, in a way, he was. “I donno...sorry. I know that doesn’t make a lotta sense…” He trailed off.

“It- it makes perfect sense to me Dakota.” Cavendish said quietly, his stomach was twisting, it was so disquieting seeing Dakota this way. He always had a strange sort of softness, but it was still a sturdy sort, where this seemed like the type that could be easily bruised. 

“It does?” Dakota asked incredulously, sitting up and looking at him with wide, shining eyes.

Dakota had opened up, now, he supposed, it was his turn. “Well, my reasons are a bit different but close enough, why do you think I am so attached to wearing suits?”

“I always just thought you were kinda a Professor Time fanboy gone overboard.” Dakota replied in good humor, seeming relieved that Cavendish was so accepting.

Cavendish huffed and smiled a little, “Well yes, on the  _ surface  _ , but my reasons go much deeper, right down to the way I speak.” He sighed, “I just want to be taken seriously, I need to  _ look  _ put together in order to  _ feel  _ put together,” He brushed a hand over his vest, emphasizing his point. “and well, I’m afraid sometimes I do project my own insecurities onto you and for that I am deeply sorry…” He hesitated, “And um, if you want to touch your hair I hope you know I won’t judge.” If only Dakota knew how badly he wanted to do it  _ himself.  _

“Heh.” Dakota flopped back, grinning widely “Wouldn’t you know it,” He let out a sharp bark of laughter, “We’re both completely screwed up.” He let loose, laughing wildly, Cavendish soon found himself unable to resist joining and for a few minutes it seemed as if the two might have fallen into some kind of madness. 

“Oh man!” Dakota sighed, wiping his eyes as his laughter finally emptied. “I didn’t realize how badly I needed that!” 

Cavendish smiled and wiped his eyes as well. “It’s amazing, all these years, there’s still so much we don't know about each other.”

“I wanna know though. I wanna know  _ everything  _ about you Cav, but I stopped askin’ ’cause you always seemed so uncomfortable with personal questions, you don’t really ask ’em either.” Dakota said it matter-of-factly, but Cavendish still seemed quite stung by it, and hung his head, though part of him was absolutely reeling that Dakota said he wanted to know  _ everything  _ . 

“I am sorry about that. I started with the notion that everything remain under a need-to-know basis, professionalism, you know?” He sighed heavily, “But over time, I realized it wasn’t about any of that.” He snorted, the sound verging on vitriolic. “I’m constantly afraid of just about  _ everything,  _ but mainly, I’m terrified of failure, of people seeing me as a failure, of them thinking less of me if they know...if they know me too well.” The tears were prickling his eyes, but for once, he wasn't scared. He was with the only person in the world who  _ didn't  _ scare him.

Dakota had always known Cavendish was vulnerable, but it was more than that, he was downright  _ fragile.  _ No wonder he struggled so much, and the question of why his music had been so  _ sad  _ seemed to have, at least partially, answered itself. 

“Hey, I didn’t mean to point the finger at you Cav.” He soothed, leaning against him reassuringly. “I really doubt either of us would have wanted to talk if the other was pushy about it anyway. It's not who we are.” Cavendish pressed back against his partner.

They shared a quiet moment, Cavendish’s brows were knitted and his expression was stony, not in a cold way, but in the way of being deep in thought. Finally he spoke, words coming out slowly, carefully gauging his partner’s reaction. 

“Well...it seems we’ve come to terms about wanting to know more about each other, so I’m willing to open up to you...if you’re willing to do the same,” He paused, Dakota was about to agree when he continued. “and we respect each other’s boundaries,” He smiled and gave the other a surprisingly fond glance, their eyes meeting briefly, “though perhaps it’s time we push them, just a little.” 

Dakota sighed deeply, the grin on his face spread so wide that his cheeks were hurting, they were also burning, and so were his ears, maybe now he could finally get Cavendish to admit his feelings! Maybe he could get the answer about the nature of their  _ date,  _ though now that he thought about it, there were other questions on his mind as well, especially about the music.

“I don’t wanna seem too eager and you uh...you don’t have to answer this Cav, but-” He started apprehensively. 

Cavendish gave a small sigh, and a wave, cutting him off, “No, no, I brought this on myself, go on.” There was only the faintest hint of encouragement to his tone, but when it came to Cavendish that was plenty considering there was none of the bossy or condescending ones that usually accompanied it. 

“I have a few questions about uh...some of the things from our last mission.” Dakota admitted.

Cavendish hummed, “Yes, well you aren’t alone in that then.” 

Dakota’s face scrunched “Wait what…? Wha’d you have questions about?” 

“Oh no,” Cavendish replied with a shake of his head and a slightly too sly smile, “you asked first, it’s only fair.” 

“Oi..alright then.” He sighed and absentmindedly started to run a hand through his hair then immediately stopped with a “Whoops!” and ran it down his cheek instead,“Well, it was bound to happen.” he grumbled to himself about it, “Anyway, um…” Cavendish found himself surprisingly amused at how flustered Dakota was acting. “So...I um...I couldn’t help but notice the uh...the music sounded mostly really kinda...sad…?” He trailed off, now rubbing the back of his neck anxiously, “And with what you told me about how you’re, y’know, scared all the time and stuff and I just...I guess I wanna know for sure if I’m right that they go together?” He glanced at his partner, feeling like he was doing a terrible job of explaining what he was trying to ask, “I guess it’s just more of a confirmation than a real question.” 

“I think what you’re trying to ask, put simply, is, are my insecurities the reason my music was sad?” Cavendish offered, his head hanging. “Not entirely, but a large part yes.” 

He looked and sounded forlorn, Dakota felt rather bad for bringing it up. He gave his partner’s shoulder a soft squeeze, his voice was a low rumble, “I’m really sorry you had to feel that way, I…” He hesitated, his face reddening as he continued.“If you ever do decide to start writing music again, I hope it won’t be as sad.”

Cavendish sighed at his partner's words, feeling a tug at the corners of his mouth. When had Dakota become so...sweet?

“Now my question.” Cavendish started after a slightly-too-long silence “I couldn't help noticing…” Really he had two questions and he wasn’t sure which one he wanted to ask first. Being one to seek some sense of order he decided to ask chronologically. “The way you looked at the stars, there’s very few things in -or out of- this world I’ve ever seen you show such fondness for. I don’t recall you ever having such an interest in the stars before.”

Dakota groaned softly and put a hand over his face. “Ohh yeah, I shoulda figured you’d ask about that.” He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees with his hands in front of his face. “I used to be super into astronavigation. I haven’t really...I-I guess it’s a bit like you and your music? Well, not exactly, but I mean in the sense that I moved on from it, but every so often…” He hesitated, trying to compose his thoughts, “I still go to the planetarium sometimes, I've even been up to the old observatory a few times. Seeing the stars out there like that...I donno, it was…” He paused a little too long before deciding on “nice.” though there was more than a little pain in his voice.

Cavendish’s eyes were narrowed in confusion. “Astronavigation?” 

“Yup.” Dakota snorted, Cavendish couldn't help getting the feeling that his partner wasn’t particularly keen to continue the conversation. Dakota sighed as he flopped back, spreading his arms along the back of the couch and staring at the ceiling, “I used to know them all by name.” He gave a wry, melancholy smile and shook his head a little. “Anyway, my turn to ask a question.” 

Cavendish simply nodded, though he was now filled with even more questions. Why astronavigation? It seemed so random, and of what use? Why did he seem so secretive about it? He shoved it all aside. “Alright, and thank you, that is really very interesting.”

With the music out of the way Dakota wanted nothing more than to ask if they were on a date, a real, romantic date. This definitely wasn't their typical movie night, that was for sure but it also didn't really feel particularly romantic either. As he opened his mouth he once again felt his courage disappear and the words coming out of his mouth adjusted themselves accordingly. “So...when you said you didn’t wanna sleep  _ away from me  _ why was that?” He looked at his partner and frowned, “Were...were you just scared of being alone? Or the situation or…?” 

Cavendish was beet red and his heart was pounding. He bit his lip quite hard and wouldn’t look at Dakota as he admitted his answer. “It was all of that, and simply what I said then. I’ve become very...used to us being together.” He paused and his eyes rolled towards Dakota, full of uncertainty, like he had more to say but wasn’t ready to confess it. 

Their eyes met, and Cavendish sighed. “You...don’t sleep well most nights and...I-I feel like I’m likely responsible for that...S-so when you don’t I try to comfort you…” He trailed off quietly, then suddenly continued forcefully, “I just feel like as much as I shouldn't be alone…” His voice went soft again as he faltered, “You shouldn’t be either. We’re partners, we’ve been through hell together.” 

Cavendish hadn’t even openly admitted to the cuddling and yet this felt like new information, was it really from a place of gratitude and not just desire? Dakota smiled and huffed, squeezing his partner’s shoulder again. “Yeah, we have, and thanks for looking out for me.” 

Cavendish couldn't help but flinch at the irony of that. “It’s the least I can do.” He twisted his fingers together, though he now had even more questions the original second one still pressed on him. Dakota eyed him, anticipating another question. “Dakota you seemed very...confident...handling those weapons and I was rather surprised by that, I understand if this pushes the bou-”

Dakota didn't let him finish the question, waving a hand. “Yeah, I’ve...had uh…” He scratched his earlobe “Some training and uh...real world experience, not just time travel related stuff either.” He sounded strained as he said it and his posture was stiff. 

Once again Cavendish was left with more questions than answers. Dakota was clearly more uncomfortable with that than anything they’d yet discussed. Dakota fixed him with a distressed look that clearly stated  _ Boundaries.  _ What kind of experience? What kind of training? Was it somehow related to the star thing? Cavendish leaned against his partner, and Dakota sighed, grateful that Cavendish understood.


	3. Where things suddenly go from 0 to Shitshow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the really dramatic part where I went completely overboard. You can skip it but chapter 4 might be mildly confusing.

They both needed a break after that conversation and after a quick trip to the bathroom it was Dakota who broke the silence. He hadn’t yet asked his most pressing question and he was starting to feel quite on edge about it.

“Okay, I just - I gotta come clean.” Dakota started quietly but quickly became loud and animated, “This whole day has been intensely confusing for me. Cav, I just...I hafta ask, what is today, this evening, what’s it  _ supposed  _ to be? ’Cause I can tell you, It's been a freakin’  _ wild  _ ride and not the kind I was expecting.” Okay, he hadn’t quite managed to ask outright, but at least he had finally asked something that might get him an answer.

“Well…” Cavendish said quietly after a beat, “What kind  _ were  _ you expecting?” there was the slightest hint of amusement in his voice. 

Dakota huffed, “I have no idea but I was promised dinner and a movie and so far I’ve gotten neither!” 

Cavendish rolled his eyes and smirked, “Well dinner should be here shortly, and as for the movie, I was under the impression  _ you’d  _ be taking responsibility for that, after all, I really am not familiar with most of this time period's technology.”

“Ooh, yeah, that makes sense, I can put it on now if you want?” Dakota was embarrassed, Cavendish was right about the movie, in all honesty he had been so engrossed in talking with Cavendish it had slipped his mind entirely. “But I donno, I kinda like where this has been going.” He wasn't sure he should have admitted that, what if Cavendish took it the wrong way?

Cavendish did indeed lean away from him and question, “What do you mean? What’s to have liked about us getting on each other's nerves, prying at each other and being half starved because we’re too caught up on each other to stop and do what we’re supposed to?” Cavendish sounded defensive, as if he wasn't sure he would have opened up after all.

Dakota’s cheeks burned and he grinned like a goon  _ Caught up on each other,  _ Hell, could Cav even hear himself right now? “Really, Cav? When you were harsh you apologized right away, you touched my knee, you accepted me completely when I opened up to you  _ and  _ you trusted me enough to do the same and we learned some stuff about each other! Oh, and lets not forget,  _ you made me pies this morning.”  _ Dakota counted off everything on his fingers, “That's a  _ lot  _ for a first date!” He realized what he’d said a second too late and his hands slapped over his mouth. 

“That was this afternoon.” Cavendish replied simply, after a moment. 

Dakota was thrown off completely, “What…?” 

“The pies, I made them this afternoon.” 

“I...it felt like morning to me!” Of course, of all the things to pick up on that was what he pointed out. He was either oblivious or intentionally ignoring his date comment, but now Dakota had something else his partner had said digging at him. “Cav when you said we’re  _ caught up on each other…”  _ he trailed off, not knowing exactly where he was going with it. 

“I simply mean what I said, we are terribly distracted by each other, or at least, that’s how it is for me, are you saying it isn’t the same for you?” Cavendish fixed him with a piercing gaze.

Dakota slapped his hands up to his face, why, why,  _ why  _ couldn’t cavendish just say things  _ plainly!?  _ Of course to Cavendish this probably  _ was  _ plainly. He felt a growl of frustration escape him and he ran  _ both  _ hands through his hair. He stood and faced his partner, he looked overwhelmed, pained even.

“I guess? Maybe? Cav I don't even really know what you  _ mean  _ by that! I just keep trying to get it out of you for real but you’re stubborn as a wild  _ burro!”  _ He sounded incredibly angry, he  _ felt  _ incredibly angry, the frustration of not only the night but all the years of waiting suddenly felt like it was bearing down on him. “And please, for gods sake, tell me  _ straight  _ Cav, is this supposed to be a  _ date? _ I mean like the  _ romantic  _ kind? Because I’ve been trying to figure it out since you said it I've been so freakin’ confused...” 

Cavendish just stared up at him, wide eyed and dumbfounded. Dakota had yelled at him plenty of times, and he had yelled back, they bickered, they argued, they even fought, but this was different. Dakota never yelled like this out of nowhere, he never lost his temper unless Cavendish did first. 

He was still going on, but Cavendish couldn't really hear him anymore, something must be terribly, horribly, wrong if Dakota was this angry over the possibility of their date being romantic. Now everything was spinning, his heart felt like it was ripped from his chest, or maybe that was his lungs, seeing as his heart was hurting like hell but suddenly breathing felt a lot harder. 

Had he misread Dakota this whole time?

The doorbell rang. Dakota growled and stomped to get it.

In that short time, Cavendish managed to pull Dennis from his hiding spot under the edge of the futon and bury his face in him. He squeezed the bear tight, curling into a ball around the stuffed animal as a flood of painful emotions washed over him. Every breath was a struggle as he tried to fight tears, his head suddenly felt like it was in a vice, he screamed despite his breathlessness, and even though it was muffled into the softness of his bear, the sound that came out was gut-wrenching. He knew he should be upset about Dakota yelling at him, but he was more than upset, he was panicking and he was completely consumed by sadness and pain.

_ “Cavendish!?” _

Dakota’s anger immediately gave way to concern and intense worry. “Hey, oh no, no, no Cav, I…please don’t...don’t cry....” He stopped himself, forcing several deep breaths. It wouldn't help either of them if they were both freaking out and he was still feeling very wound up.

This was bad, this was very, very bad. He knelt in front of Cavendish, forehead resting on the other man's shins, hands resting on his feet. It was an odd position, but somehow felt very comforting. He continued breathing, occasionally breaking off to try to sooth him.

He heard Cavendish start to mirror his breathing, and let out an honest sigh, it wasn’t as if he’d never done this with Cavendish before, he had several times, but it had never taken that long before and this time it was different, this time he was the cause. Tears slipped down his cheeks and his stomach felt tight. 

“I’m sorry, I’m so, so sorry Cavendish.”

He stayed like that until he was sure it was over, or at the very least, until he was sure Cavendish was intentionally ignoring him. Then he wrapped a blanket around him, started the movie, and started eating. He had no idea how long it had been, but it must have been a while, the food was cold.

The movie was only a few minutes in when Dakota noticed his partner's head peeking up over his knees, eyes fixed on the tiny old TV playing the worn down old cassette. 

…

“Okay, I admit it, I  _ did  _ want to upset you a  _ little bit  _ , but like, wind-you-up kind of upset, not break-you-down kind of upset!” Dakota was rambling through mouthfuls of food. “I’m sorry Cav! I had no idea that was gonna happen, it really scared me!” He paused and added, much more softly, “I mean that about me yelling too, I didn’t realize I was that frustrated about it.”

Cavendish said nothing as he pulled the blanket that Dakota had put on him tighter and hugged Dennis closer, making a concentrated effort to ignore him and focus on the movie (which Dakota had  _ finally  _ gotten around to putting on, all of this could have been avoided if he’d just done that from the get-go). 

The movie did actually interest him, but he was focusing so hard on ignoring Dakota that he found himself unable to get absorbed fully. He still felt very out of it, he knew it wasn’t Dakota’s fault, yet he couldn't help feeling a sort of blame towards him. It didn't help that he had been apologising nonstop and showed no signs of slowing.

“Cav, I’m really  _ really  _ sorry.” Dakota whined before muttering, “This is the worst first date in the history of first dates....I mean if it even  _ is  _ a first date!” he stuffed an egregious amount of noodles in his pie-hole.

Cavendish rolled his eyes, he couldn't resist; Dakota had said earlier that he didn't mind being chided for self-destruction. “Dakota, you are going to make yourself sick!” It felt  _ good  _ to snap at him, to distract himself and Dakota from what had happened and from another one of Dakota’s  _ date  _ remarks.

Dakota paused, a veil of noodles hanging from his mouth. He bit through them and they fell back into the container. His reply was sharp, but still sounded concerned, “Yeah, n’ you’re gonna starve to death at this rate, you really should eat, it might help you feel better.” 

Cavendish bristled, “I  _ was  _ hungry but then you made me  _ quite  _ upset as you’re well aware.”  _ So much for moving on.  _ He squeezed Dennis, hunger gnawed at him just as strongly as ever. It wasn't that he had lost his appetite at all, he simply didn’t  _ want  _ to eat. They sat in silence after that, the tension was thick enough to cut with a knife.

Dakota had things still unsaid, he still felt completely wound up and even the food hadn't settled it. He drew a deep breath, a very deep breath, and Cavendish felt himself tensing before his partner even said anything. 

“Okay, you know what? I told myself I would wait until the end of the night to do this, but screw it." Dakota growled. He got up, stomping with fast, heavy footfalls, his hands animated. He knew he shouldn't let himself do this again, especially with Cavendish in the condition he was in, but he hadn’t gotten it all out before and if he didn’t get it over with now it would only get worse. He tried to at least keep the anger out this time, it just needed to be  _ said. _

“I cant take it anymore and I don’t even care if you’re ready or not because  _ I’ve  _ been ready for a  _ hella  _ long time and I’m so freakin’ tired of these stupid, I donno,  _ games  _ or whatever the frick is going on between us!” 

He ranted as he grabbed the kettle and sat it on the hotplate, the words tumbling out without filter. “And I swear to  _ god  _ Cav if you freak out again, just...I don’t even understand what I said that upset you so much! I-I’ve seen you freak out plenty of times but never like  _ that!  _ That was even worse than when you heard your music!” 

Tears rolled down his face as the words tumbled out of him, he wiped them away roughly. “I just want to  _ know  _ Cav.” There was a break as he filled the kettle using a bottle of water. Cavendish was trying hard to catch his breath, to process everything Dakota was saying while he was still recovering from his own breakdown. “Every time I ask if this is a date you ignore it! I really,  _ really  _ like you Cav and I’ve been flirting with you for  _ years  _ and you haven’t really responded, then you had to go and call some random movie night a  _ date  _ and make me  _ pies!  _ I’ve been holding back, I've been waiting, for so long Cav,  _ so long...” _

He twisted the dial to max. “I-I just wanted to know if you actually do  _ like  _ me or if you’re just a prude who-” Dakota paused in his tracks and turned pale, “who can’t-” He tried to continue, before suddenly lurching and his hands flew to his mouth as he took off for the bathroom. 

Despite the smallness of the space, he didn’t make it.

Cavendish sat, completely frozen. His lungs were gone again. 

This was a disaster. A nightmare. Why had it gone like this? All they’d wanted was dinner and a movie. 

Except that clearly wasn’t all that either of them wanted.

…

“You were right Dakota.” Cavendish said quietly, leaning against the doorframe of the bathroom.

“’Bout what?” Dakota asked miserably, his voice was somehow both thick and reedy at once as it projected up from the toilet bowl. 

“We’re both completely screwed up. It seems my cowardice has had a very negative effect on you. I had no idea.” 

“HA!” Dakota barked dryly, “I kinda thought it might be that too.” he closed the toilet lid and pulled himself up to sit on it, Cavendish recoiled visibly at his words. “Uh, sorry, I just mean that’s why I never tried to actually do anything too serious.” Cavendish took a step into the bathroom and handed him a bottle of water. “Ah, thanks.” He chugged nearly the whole thing before continuing, "You kinda seemed like you were in denial and I didn’t wanna push you too suddenly and send you to freakin’ Narnia or something like I apparently just did.” 

It took Cavendish a minute to catch on. 

It took him another to actually reply. “I can’t really explain my reasoning with...well...as you put it,  _ going to Narnia,  _ my mind made connections that I don’t yet consciously understand.” Dakota looked as if he was about to spew more apologies. “I know, you didn't mean to. I shouldn’t have been angry at you about it, you had every right to be frustrated.” 

A hint of a smile tugged at Dakotas lips, “Yeah, I did, I still feel bad about yelling though, and now you gotta come clean Cav. Was it a  _ date?  _ ”

“I...that was also stringing you along, I was being intentionally ambiguous on the matter.” He admitted ruefully. “I wanted to see how you'd respond, and when you kept mentioning it I didn’t really know what to say. I was trying to figure it out myself, or have you define it for me, which, I suppose did happen, though not remotely in the manner I’d hoped.” He sighed and rubbed his forehead “As far as I am concerned, I really don't think I want this to count as our first date.” 

“I shoulda known you did it all on purpose!” Dakota remarked with a shake of his head. “Okay, so original intentions aside, we’re  _ not  _ counting it as a date. Got it. I guess this means we  _ finally  _ have our shit together about things though? We’re both ready after this damn disaster? Are we on the same freakin’ page?-” He would have kept going, but Cavendish interrupted.

“It seems we are, Dakota.” 

“  _ Good!  _ ‘Cause I’m not holding back anymore.” He shot his partner a cheeky look, “We’re starting over.” 

Cavendish stared at him, “Starting over...from when?” 

Dakota rolled his eyes, “Don’t get too deep about it, just starting our date over, so like, earlier today, er...yesterday now I guess.” 

“Are you sure that's a good idea? We’re both exhausted and emotionally drained.” Cavendish worried.

“Yeah, we’ll probably just fall asleep, it’ll be fine."


	4. Make Your Move

Dakota rewound the movie. Cavendish lit candles and turned out the lights.

“We have candles? When did we get candles?” Dakota asked, raising an eyebrow.

Cavendish’s smile seemed a bit cheeky. “Not we, these are _my_ candles. I normally light them when you aren’t around.” That really wasn’t terribly often, no wonder they seemed hardly used.

Dakota drew one of the unlit candles close and inhaled sharply. He cocked his head at Cavendish, unable to stop the smirk from spreading across his face, “Coconut, Cav?” He almost laughed at how red Cavendish turned, so much that it was apparent even in the dim light of a small desk lamp and a few candles.

“I...I’m quite fond of coconut.” Fond, or maybe infatuated.

“Really now?” Dakota teased, twirling a finger around a lock knowingly. “That’s very interesting.” Cavendish pinched the bridge of his nose as Dakota leaned close, practically hugging him. “You never told me you like the smell of coconut, guess it's a happy coincidence it’s what I use on my hair.” Cavendish looked ready to die of embarrassment. Dakota dropped his voice to a sultry croon and slipped a finger under the knot of Cavendish’s tie, pulling it loose. “Go put on your PJs, I’ll light the rest of the candles.” Cavendish sighed at the action, as if pulling his tie pulled the breath out of him. “Don’t forget to inhale.” Dakota was standing on tiptoes to whisper in his ear.

Cavendish looked horrified, Dakota just smiled at him, eyes half lidded like a self assured cat. He stood there for a moment, still just processing, until finally it seemed his brain couldn’t come up with any better action than to have him do as told. He drew a sharp breath and stomped across the room.

Dakota held his breath to stop himself from bursting out laughing but he let himself chuckle quietly once Cavendish had entered the bathroom. He turned the hotplate back on before lighting the remaining candles, still feeling wildly pleased at his partner's ridiculous reaction. He had said he wasn’t going to hold back, and he meant it. He tidied up the food containers that were lying around, arranged the candles in a way he thought looked nice and fluffed the throw pillows that Cavendish had bought in an effort to “spruce up the place”.

Cavendish emerged from the bathroom to find Dakota in boxers and tank top. Even though it was a sight he witnessed daily, it still made his heart flutter and his cheeks warm. Upon seeing him, Dakota hopped up and pressed play on the VCR, then headed over to check the kettle, it wasn’t truly boiling yet (seeing as it hadn’t yet whistled) but he could tell from the sound and steam that it was very close. He hurried and poured some honey and added a herbal teabag to one of Cavendish’s favourite mugs, then poured the water in.

Once again he sat down without leaving an inch of personal space, Cavendish fidgeted but didn't move away. “Here, I was trying to make this earlier but uh…” He trailed off, feeling embarrassed about the whole thing.

Cavendish accepted with a nod and a soft smile “Much appreciated, Dakota.” They sat in silence then, and Dakota couldn't help noticing how he kept shooting glances at him, fiddling around, sipping his tea, glancing again. Dakota simply leaned against him and ignored it, wishing Cavendish's old fashioned striped pajamas had short sleeves. Finally, after a good while, his tea finished, it seemed Cavendish was able to overcome whatever was perplexing him. He tucked his arm around Dakora’s shoulders, there was no pretext of a stretch, or of resting it along the back of the couch. Dakota’s heart pounded, it wasn't as if Cavendish had never put his arm around him before, no, it wasn’t the action itself, it was the context.

Dakota waited for Cavendish to relax a little before making a move himself, he rested his hand on the top of Cavendish’s thigh, slowly sliding up and in until his fingers hooked around to the inside. It made his stomach twist and tingle to touch his partner in such an intimate and possessive way. He glanced at Cavendish, who had tensed again at his touch, “You good?” A nod. That was all he needed and they resumed watching, though Dakota couldn't help thinking that Cavendish was probably just as distracted as the first time they tried to watch.

About halfway through was when Dakota started yawning and his leaning against Cavendish grew steadily heavier and slouchier. He moved Dakota’s hand away from his thigh, causing the younger man to stir with a soft, curious grunt. “Wassamatter?”

“Nothing, except you’re falling asleep.” Cavendish replied quietly, placing one of the throw pillows on his lap. “Come on, lie down.” He encouraged, pulling on his shoulder. It didn’t take much before Dakota scooted his hip away and flopped onto the pillow, a hand slipping under it to hook back around Cavendisn’s thigh just above the knee. Cavendis’s heart pounded, he was still coming to terms with the realization that Dakota’s clingy behaviours weren’t just teasing and jokes, Dakota was serious.

“Dakota?”

“Mmh?”

“May...may I touch your hair?”

“Uh? Mhm…” Dakota sounded mildly curious but too sleepy to really question it. Cavendish had to take a few deep breaths before proceeding. This was a far cry from his earlier wild imaginings, but perhaps it was for the better, this was much less wanton, tamer, softer, easier to deal with.

He carded a hand through Dakota’s hair, dragging his fingertips along his scalp. Dakota sighed, it was a sigh that spoke volumes, a sigh that had been held for years, one that was both heartbreaking and heartwarming. Dakota’s hair was much rougher than he expected, it looked so soft, and of course it still was, but he was surprised by the texture, it reminded him of wool, the real stuff from the animal.

“Feels so good, dun stop.” Dakota said in a sleepy rumble, waking Cavendish from his dozing.

“I thought you were asleep.” He replied with some surprise.

“Naw, yer makin’ m’brain tingle. Can’t sleep when m’brain tingles.”

Cavendish snorted at that. “Well the movie is over, shall we turn in for the night?”

Dakota grunted, “I don't wanna move.” He squeezed Cavendish’s thigh possessively and snuggled into his partner's lap; this was absolutely fantastic, already he felt it made up for earlier, mostly.

“Well I would like to lie down myself, I’m getting rather groggy.” Cavendish complained. Dakota squeezed his leg again, this time hard enough to make him yelp, though it was more from surprise than anything else. “What was that for?” He asked indignantly.

“Wake’yup.” Cavendish could hear the cheekiness through his sleepiness.

“Wake me up? You’re the one refusing to move!” Cavendish argued, his frustration growing.

“Yeah, well make me!” Dakota taunted childishly.

Without really thinking about what he was doing Cavendish twisted his fingers into Dakota’s hair and tugged. Dakota gasped, letting out a long, low whine and sharply clutching Cavendish’s thigh.

“Oh! Dakota, are you alright?” He quickly untangled his fingers, intense guilt washing over him as he recalled the events of earlier. “I-I didn’t mean to...um…” He trailed off at the sound of low chuckles emanating from the pillow.

“You didn’t hurt me, don’t worry about it,” he mumbled breathlessly, “just ah, gimmie a minute t’cool down before ya touch me again....” Cavendish felt his face growing hot as his worry drained away. “Unless…” Dakota added questioningly, with a wiggle of his hips.

Cavendish felt like he was about to burst into flames. He couldn't tell which was causing more heat: Dakota basically propositioning him, that it had happened completely unintentionally, or the fact that, as far as he could tell, they had absolutely no reason to hold back anymore. He had no idea what to say to any of it, those wild thoughts from the beginning of their original attempt were back, and now they had no reason to be caged.

“Unless what?”

 _Unless what_ Cavendish couldn't be that dense, could he? No, he was messing with him, testing the waters, that had to be it. He wanted to make him say it, Dakota rolled his eyes and sighed. After so many years of hiding it surprised him that being earnest was actually a lot less difficult than he thought it would be. He rolled over, laid on his back, laced his fingers together and stated: “I’ll get _horny_ Cav.” No reason to sugar coat it. Putting it so shamelessly was bound to get his partner's panties in a bunch, he just hoped it was in a good way.

Cavendish was silent, breathing heavily through his nose, looking away from the man lying so casually on his lap. Dakota had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing as he sat up and twisted around to face his partner.

“So...are ya gonna do it?”

The seconds crept into minutes, it seemed like some kind of stalemate.

Cavendish suddenly turned to him and Dakota found himself shocked, Cavendish’s brilliant turquoise eyes were absolutely _burning_. They stood out like a beacon against the deep pink of his skin. He smiled, it was a smile that held something wicked and wild that Dakota had only ever seen traces of before. He put his hands up to the sides of Dakota’s head, making him gasp preemptively, then roughly twisted his fingers into his locks and he pulled both sides, pulled him closer, drawing them together until their lips just barely touched, their breath mingling.

Dakota wanted nothing more than to lock with him, but he was held with a shockingly firm grasp that made his body feel as boneless as that time he actually didn't have bones, though this was far, far more pleasurable. He moaned, it was pleasure and frustration, it was needy, demanding, _don’t tease me any more_.

He couldn’t help but feel irritated as Cavendish let him go. Why!? Why did he do that!? He shot a glare at Cavendish, or at least, he tried to, but he found he couldn't hold it when he saw the look on his partners face. Never had he seen Cavendish look so absolutely empowered. _Holy shit, he did it just to wind me up even more?!_ And oh, he couldn’t deny that it absolutely had, he was completely burning up, tingling from top to bottom and still trying to catch his breath properly.

Seeing Dakota being the flustered, frustrated, wound-up one was no less than thrilling to Cavendish. It was a rather unexpected outcome of being so forward and one that really didn’t require much contemplation; He liked this very much, and he very definitely wanted more. How much would it take for Dakota to beg? Was he really, truly as shameless as he’d been led to believe? He already looked like he was ready to beg.

“What’s the matter Dakota?” His voice was perfectly level, he wasn’t about to let it betray him, not when he felt in control for once.

Dakota threw himself at Cavendish, landing back in his lap and practically growled, “You know exactly what the matter is! I told you what the matter is! Stop acting so...so...argh!”

“Well I think I rather enjoy being _argh.”_ He teased, “and I wonder, what kind of reaction you might have to other things…?” Cavendish’s fingers were lightning fast, “Something like this?” His slim fingers prodded at Dakota’s ribs, making him yelp and fall back onto the couch, writhing wildly, “No ti-haha-tick-yeek! Tickling d-doesn-ah!” Dakota tried to argue, attempting to shield himself as Cavendish jumped to his sides and squeezed at his kidney, dancing along his belly, nimbly and swiftly avoiding Dakota’s every attempt to stop him. Out of desperation he rolled over and curled into a ball.

“Well I hope you didn’t think that was going to help!” Cavendish warned as he decided since the opportunity had presented itself, he might as well take it. He groped Dakota's butt, each hand filled with a thick, soft cheek.

Dakota’s yelp was almost a yodel as he jerked forward to try to get away, there was a loud thunk and a cry of pain, “Ow!”

“Are you okay?” Cavendish wasn’t too concerned, Dakota was rather hard-headed.

“I bumped my head on the armrest.” He whined, sitting up and rubbing his forehead. “And tickling doesn’t ev-um...I mean...maybe it does.” He seemed genuinely surprised and his face flushed.

Cavendish’s eyebrows raised and he wondered what exactly Dakota had just noticed about his reaction to the tickling. “Come here, I won’t tickle you anymore, I promise.” Dakota looked at him suspiciously, but nonetheless did as Cavendish asked, climbing straight onto his lap and burying his face into his chest.

“I’ve wanted this for so damn long.” The rumbling whisper was muffled by Cavendish’s soft pajamas. His arms were wrapped tightly around his slim frame, holding him in a needy grip.

“Me too.” Cavendish replied softly, his own hands freely wandering over Dakota’s back, feeling out the knots and tension with considerable skill, drawing out ever more lewd sounds from the man. The further down he went, the more worked up Dakota was becoming, writhing and whimpering, sighing and gasping. Of course, the growing heat between them was having quite an effect on Cavendish himself, and he sorely wished he had chosen thinner sleepwear. Thinking such a thing with Dakota and himself in the states they were in only made his head spin even more. All the while he kept up with the massage, L3 - he really should stop, this was getting out of hand, L4 - Dakota gasped sharply, sending a shiver down his own spine. Final one, L5 - he moaned, loud and wild, fingers digging sharply into his sides, breathless and panting and still trying to swear. The heat between them grew exponentially in those few seconds. “D-Dakota did...Did you just…?” Cavendish asked once he finally got his head cleared a little.

“No.” Dakotas voice was surprisingly squeaky, “But I’m stupid close.” Cavendish realized the incessant grinding of his hips should have said as much. Dakota had managed to straddle himself over his left thigh and now his left knee, rather than resting around his side as his right was still doing, was prodding at his crotch with an ever growing pressure.

“Dakota,” Cavendish found he couldn’t keep a slight groan out of his voice, “please watch that knee.” Dakota’s response was to double down and grind even harder. “Oh you cheeky devil, well then, two can play at that game!” He hitched up his heel sharply, raising his leg and pitching Dakota forward against his chest, causing him to moan and dig sharply into his sides again. Cavendish rebuked by swiftly twisting his fingers into Dakota's hair and pulling straight back, drawing a somewhat pained moan from him, punctuated with a sharp, breathy curse.

He wasn't sure how much more Dakota could take, but he suspected it wouldn’t take too much more to undo him completely, and his mind had no shortage of ideas on what the final blow should be. He let Dakota's head drop back against him, but kept his fingers tightly twisted into his locks, tugging softly as he leaned close and whispered, “Go on,” his voice confident and sultry, “satisfy yourself on me.”

Dakota exploded. His whole body trembled and tensed, tiny whimpering gasps accompanying his final frantic thrusts as he pushed his climax further. Cavendish still held his hair, not pulling, simply maintaining a slight pressure, while his other arm held him with a reassuring firmness. Dakota was now giggling and gasping intermittently, he had unlatched a hand and flapped it very aggressively for a moment. Cavendish was briefly startled, but remembered what Dakota had said about having sensory issues, it wasn’t a far cry to assume this was simply a reaction to feeling overstimulated.

It was several more minutes and several more bouts of hand flapping and giggling and staccato hip bucking before Dakota seemed to finally be done with it all. Cavendish was quite amazed by how intense it had seemed. He carefully unknotted his fingers, carding gently through Dakota’s hair a few times.

They sat in silence, Dakota dozing, or perhaps properly asleep now. Cavendish was slowly cooling down, and still feeling rather shocked over what transpired. They hadn’t even kissed yet! He got Dakota off on their very first date! He felt shame bubbling up inside him, it had been entirely his doing, he had riled up his partner (his _partner_ the word had more significance now, he supposed) intentionally, Dakota had given him fair warning too, but he’d wanted to do it. He felt guilty that he had given in to his desires, he felt nothing short of dirty over it. Though, thinking about it, Dakota was the dirty one, and he had... _Oh_ , A sudden thought caught him off guard, slamming him with a dizzying mixture of complete repulsion and strange arousal, _He hasn’t cleaned himself up at all._

“Dakota…?” No reply. “Daa-kooo-taaa…” He singsonged a little louder, it seemed he really was asleep. “Dakota!” He finally barked with some force.

“Yup? Yep?” He grumbled in a sleepy slur, rubbing his hands over his face. “Whasgo-oh! Oh!” Dakota sat up, looking completely shocked. “Cav I can’t believe you...you...oh my god. Holy hell man-” He would have kept going but Cavendish cut him off.

“I’m glad you liked it but I think perhaps you should um, go get cleaned up?”

“Nah I’m-” He wriggled a little, “you know what nevermind, I will do that.” Dakota peeled himself off of Cavendish and headed swiftly for the bathroom. Cavendish stared after him, a bit confused but glad that he wasn’t putting up a fuss. He noticed his leg feeling oddly cool and looked down at it, there, right where Dakota had been perched, was a large wet spot. He stared at it, bemused, all kinds of thoughts running through his head, obviously it had come from Dakota. He thought about how his partner had suddenly changed his mind about cleaning up and decided not to dwell on it. He simply stripped off his pants and shirt, laying them on his desk chair, before pulling the latch to flip the futon back into its bed position. Dakota soon emerged and was obviously quite shocked to see Cavendish in such a state of undress. “I was overheated.” He explained, as he put their sleeping pillows and blanket onto the bed.

“Uh huh.” Dakota purred as he reached him, hands sliding down his bare torso temptingly, “You sure you’re not just tryna tempt me to, yanno, return the favour? Cau-”

“Heavens! No! Absolutely not!” Cavendish asserted, nearly yelping.

Dakota frowned, then shrugged, seeming disappointed. “Okay then.” He replied dejectedly and climbed into bed and turned his back towards him.

“Don’t be like that!” Cavendish couldn’t help chiding, “I don’t mean to be hurtful I...I’m just not ready yet, I still can’t believe that I...what I…” He was becoming flustered just mentioning it.

“Yeah yeah, ya prude, I get it, now come to bed.”

“I will shortly, I have...a few things to take care of.”

By the time Cavendish crawled into bed Dakota was sound asleep.

…

Cavendish awoke as he usually did, first and curled around Dakota. He began to move away, as had been his custom for many years, and paused when he realized he didn't have to. He smiled, sighed, and snuggled himself even closer against his partner, breathing in the smell of coconut, the smell of Dakota himself and let out another sigh as his eyes drifted closed once again.

When he awoke again, he found Dakota’s arm slung over him, his face buried unceremoniously into his armpit and a leg tangled around his own, thigh pressing against his groin. It seemed his body found the contact rather gratifying, judging by the state he found himself in, and realizing he was in such a state only made him feel even more bothered.

He tried to wriggle out of Dakota’s hold, but it only resulted in him stirring. He hummed, raising his head to rest on Cavendish’s shoulder squeezed him even tighter. “Nuh-uh. You’re not gettin’ away that easily.” He paused, “Unless you need to pee and-slash-or were gonna make me breakfast.”

“Dakota, I am starving, in case you forgot, I didn’t eat very much last night.” Cavendish reminded him somewhat sternly.

“Oh right, crap, sorry Cav.” He let him go and watched him make his way over to the fridge. His eyes went wide as he caught sight of the angry marks on either side of his partners back. _Crap! He’s gonna be so pissed when he notices!_

“Where are the leftovers from last night?” Cavendish asked, worried perhaps that they had been left out.

 _Double crap, something else for him to be pissed about!_ “There’s only like...four egg rolls and a bit of rice left. Sorry.” Dakota admitted regretfully.

“You ate all that? No wonder you threw up.” Cavendish sounded surprised, but strangely not angry.

“I uh, kinda didn’t even realize I had eaten so much.” He replied rubbing at his neck.

“I didn’t either or I would have stopped you earlier.” Cavendish said, sitting softly on the edge of the bed, resting a small plate with the remaining egg rolls and a pie on the bed beside him. Usually Dakota didn’t hesitate to pick from his partner's plate, but this time he wasn’t even tempted, there was too little on the plate as it was.

“Naw s’not your fault, you were tryna recover, and I was just being gross.” He paused, his face scrunching up a bit. “Speakin’ of, I kinda wanna ask you something about that, if that’s okay?”

Cavendish looked uncertain. “What is it?”

“Did...did I do okay helpin’ you out? Cause I’ve dealt with that before but that one was pretty bad and uh, I was really tryin' hard not to have my own freakout.” He paused, reflecting, “I think that’s the big reason I ate so much and why I freaked out the second time.” He groaned and shook his head, “Man that was a mess...figuratively and literally.”

“Well you obviously weren’t just being gross.” Cavendish soothed. “And yes, you actually did quite well, at least, until you got upset the second time, but I was mostly recovered by then. I know the techniques, but I must admit I am not particularly good at employing them.” Cavendish ate one of the eggrolls with more gusto than he normally would.

Dakota looked relieved, an easy smile gracing his face, “That’s good. I’m really glad, and yeah, I’d like to know how to help you properly.” He was crawling over to him, wrapping him in a sturdy hug. His hands were wandering along his chest, pressing against the muscles covered only with a thin, smooth layer of flesh, rendering them easy to feel out.

“Dakota...” Cavendish’s tone was equal parts whining and warning.

“Ah...sorry,” He excused, “I should have asked first.” he pulled his hands away quickly.

Cavendish blushed, “I’m sorry Dakota, this is all so very new, I still don’t know if I’m ready, but, I’m happy to touch you, if you like.”

Dakota smiled and inhaled deeply, savouring the traces of aftershave that clung to his partner, “Don’t be sorry for not rushing in, wise men say only fools do that.”

“Don’t quote songs at me and pretend it's proverb!” He chided lightly, “Besides, we’ve been pining over each other for far too long to call anything _rushing in.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to some very special people who gave me the confidence to repost this. You know who you are.


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